


Freedom Scout

by lonely_no_more



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, Alternate Universe - Treasure Planet Fusion, And I'm damn proud, F/F, Gen, I might add an epilogue, I'm Mikaani trash, It'll probably feature more Mikaani, M/M, Space Pirates, Space Titans, Treasure Planet!AU, nerdiest thing I've done so far
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-09
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-04-03 13:31:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4102747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lonely_no_more/pseuds/lonely_no_more
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Annie had never wanted to spend her time out in the open space, working on a Naval ship and enduring the monotonous routine set by Captain Levi. But as soon as Treasure Planet is in sight, things change and the stakes are raised. And if they're not careful, lives may be lost.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been dying to write this forever and now I've finally done it.

Annie waited with the growing crowd of crew members for the gangplank of the S.S. Freedom Scout to lower. Beside her, Marlowe Freudenberg stood with arms crossed and appraising eyes. “You’ll have a lot of work to do. Keep you busy and out of trouble.” He glanced over at the short woman and smiled, saying, “You’re a great engineer though. You’ll probably find it pretty easy.”

“Probably,” Annie muttered coolly. Her seabag felt heavy on her shoulder and she decided to drop it between her feet, stepping on one of the straps to keep it from being stolen easily. Her high-collared jacket was overly warm for how crowded the docks were but Annie didn’t bother taking it off. She turned to look at Marlowe and questioned, “So after I serve my time on this ship, I’m free? No charges on my record?”

Marlowe sighed, “Yes, but by the time you get back, you won’t be a juvenile anymore. And you can face felony charges if you do _any_ illegal racing. Solar maneuver gear or otherwise.”

“Right, right,” she replied, waving her hand dismissively. She heard the exasperated sigh from Marlowe and looked up at him with a rueful smile. “C’mon, have a little faith. I could put my amazing engineering skills to good use.”

“What, like join the Royal Navy’s engineering corps?” the man laughed. He grinned at the perturbed glare on Annie’s face. “You know how to follow orders, don’t you?”

“But I like taking things easy,” Annie pointed out. She raised a brow when a boy pushed his way in front of herself and Marlowe, tugging a slightly shorter boy along. It was then that she noticed the gangplank lower and a short man dressed in full military regalia step up to address the crew. “Oh, gods, if he’s the captain, I’m going to die.”

Marlowe’s jaw dropped and he whispered to Annie, “That’s Captain Levi. He’s one of the greatest officers in the Navy’s Scouting Legion.”

When silence had fallen on the crew, the man raised his voice to announce, “I am Captain Levi Ackerman. This ship, my officers, and I will be treated with the utmost respect. Insubordination will _not_ be tolerated.  Anyone who cannot or will not adhere to the rules of my vessel will be disciplined and thrown in the brig; upon our arrival at the nearest port, you will be handed over to local authorities and face charges.” When no one moved or said a word, he turned and got down from the gangplank. He leaned against the railing, adding, “Also, if you make a mess on my ship, I’ll kick your ass personally and then make you clean the whole damn ship from top to bottom. Including cleaning those shitty meteoric barnacles off the sides. Now. Get on board, stow your gear properly and we’ll get underway.”

Annie looked at Marlowe one more time and grumbled, “I swear to everything horrible in this universe that I will kick your ass if I have to clean meteoric barnacles.”

“You know that I could tack on some extra punishment for threatening your parole officer.” He smiled and gently patted her shoulder. “I wouldn’t do that. You’re a good person, Annie. I hope you enjoy the voyage.”

“All I know is that we’re going hunting for some kind of treasure. If I’m lucky, the crew might get a cut of it.” With that, she slung her seabag over her shoulder and before she walked away, she said, “See ya. Don’t get killed. Your girlfriend might get pissed.” She smiled faintly when he laughed. And she walked towards the gangplank, following the steady stream of crew as they boarded and stowed their gear.

As she shut her footlocker, she heard the sound of someone come in and drop their gear. “Oh, good. I was afraid I was the only teenage girl on this ship.”

Annie looked up to see a girl with her hair in low pigtails. “Yeah. Hey,” Annie greeted. She stood and found herself to be just a couple centimeters shorter than the newcomer.

The girl blinked, cheeks flushing as she exclaimed, “I’m so sorry! I should’ve introduced myself! I’m Mina Carolina; I’m going to be working in the galley as the cook’s scullery girl.” She held out a hand and smiled at the blonde girl. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Shaking the other girl’s hand once, the other girl replied, “Annie Leonhardt. Engineer.”

Mina’s eyes widened and she asked, “Whoa, an engineer? That sounds great; do you specialize in the cannons or on the propulsion system for the ship?”

“Either,” Annie answered. She stepped around Mina and said, “Gotta go. I need to get to the engine room.”

Mina nodded and waved. “Right! I’ll see you later!”

Annie shook her head, navigating through the maze of bulkheads until she found the engine room. In front of the switch panel, a tall figure stood with their back to the entrance. Upon hearing the sound of boots on the metal walkway, they said without looking, “Name’s Ymir. Head engineer. If you don’t belong in here, get the fuck out.” Ymir turned, seeing the short blonde. Her eyes widened for a moment and she snorted, “Well, fuck, I almost thought you were Historia.”

“Yeah, no. Never heard of anyone named Historia.” Annie walked up to the switch panel and looked over it. “You know, this would be much more efficient if the engines were turboprops instead of those outdated gas turbines.”

Ymir blinked and opened her mouth to reply but instead closed it and looked at the panel with the estimated power output. “I’d love to change them but this is the Navy’s ship and they’re sticking with the original gas turbines. The turboprops are too slow for their tastes.” She crossed her arms and looked at Annie curiously, brow quirking. “You’re gonna burn up in the coat of yours.”

“Don’t care. It’s not coming off.” Annie went to the far end of the engine room to one pair of the power cores and examined them.

It wasn’t much longer before they heard a voice come down on the PA. “ _Initiate power up; ready the thrusters.”_

Ymir went to the other set of power cores and pulled the lever while Annie did the same. The cores hummed to life and Ymir went back to the main switch panel. Into the microphone, she said, “Power up initiated. Core energy at forty-three percent and rising.”

Outside of the engine room, Annie could hear the supplies being brought down into the hold and the boisterous laughter of the other crew members. She questioned, “How long have you worked with this crew?” Most of them looked tattered and worn, their faces and arms decorated with scars and tattoos.

“First time. I usually work for Captain Levi but we were contracted outside of the Navy’s normal mission list. The rest of the crew was hired separately,” the head engineer explained. She glanced back over at the short girl and noticed the dark look in her eyes. “I don’t exactly like them myself but we’ve gotta deal with ‘em.” When Annie said nothing, Ymir simply shrugged and waited until they were underway. “Well, everything will stay pretty much the same for a bit. Might as well go take a look around up top, if you want. I’m gonna go see my girl.” She smirked and then walked out, leaving Annie to stand in the empty engine room.

With a sigh, Annie walked out and soon found herself on the upper deck. She watched as the other crew members worked amongst the rigging. As she watched the work being done, a force collided with her back and a pair of hands fell to her arms as a voice exclaimed, “Sorry about that!” She rounded, pulling herself away from the person who had knocked into her. A boy stood there, mismatched eyes catching the blonde by surprise. His shaggy brown hair hung over his forehead and brushed over his eyes. “I’m Eren Jaeger. Do you work below deck?”

“Yeah,” the girl replied. She began to walk off when Eren ran up beside her. When he went to grab her shoulder again, Annie snatched his hand and gripped his upper arm, using his own momentum to toss him over her shoulder. As his back connected with the deck, she growled at him, “What the fuck did you grab me for?”

Eren groaned, arching his back and flopping onto his side, mumbling, “Sorry, sorry- oh, _fuck_ , you’re strong. _Shit_.”

“Eren!” The blonde boy Annie had seen on the dock ran up, dropping to his knees beside Eren and gently shaking his shoulder. “Are you ok?”

Coughing and rolling onto his knees, the brunette replied, “I’m fine, I’m fine, Armin, don’t worry.” Eren looked up at Annie, his eyes bright and excited. “How did you learn how to do that?”

Annie paused, debating whether or not to reply. She muttered, “My father taught me.”

Armin helped Eren to his feet and looked at him worriedly, brows drawn together as he whispered, “Are you really ok?”

Eren smiled and nodded, wrapping his arm around the other boy’s shoulder. “Yeah, I’m all right, I promise.” He turned his attention back to Annie and held out his hand. “What’s your name?”

She looked down at his hand and then back at him, eyes set in a deadpan glare. “Annie.”  When he simply continued to look at her expectantly, she added, “Leonhardt.”  

He dropped his hand but continued to smile. “Would you mind teaching me? My sister has tried to teach me but I just continue to scrap my way through fights.” Eren pointed to the blonde boy with his arm around his waist. “This is Armin. Best friend, map maker. Soul mate-”

Armin’s cheeks flushed and he groaned, “Eren, cut it out…”

Annie rolled her eyes. Shoving her hands into her pockets, she said, “Look. I don’t care if you two are together or whatever. Just don’t bug me.” She turned on her heel, beginning to make her way back down the stairs when footsteps ran up on her. “Jaeger, you’d better not grab me again-”

“I’m not Jaeger.” At the top of the stairs stood the man who had identified himself as Captain Levi, arms crossed and eyes dark as he stared at one of his engineers. “You’re Leonhardt?” Levi’s brows drew together as his voice lowered. “I expect you to follow orders perfectly. Every time. You will address me as Captain or sir. Are we clear?”

Fighting back the urge to roll her eyes, Annie sighed sharply and retorted, “Yes, sir.”

“Good.” Before he turned to walk away, he said, “I don’t like this crew. And if you hear any word – any at all- about mutiny or other such criminal activity, I expect you to report it immediately.” And that being said, Levi walked away.

[X]

They had been underway for a solid month. Annie spent her time- for the most part- in the engine room, working on standard maintenance and avoiding interaction with most of the crew. One evening, she sat on the walkway in front of one of the power cores, inspecting the piping when she felt something tap the top of her head. “What the-” She turned to see Ymir offering her a mug. Hesitating for a moment, Annie took the mug and sipped at it. “Thanks.”

Ymir smirked and shrugged, sipping at her own mug. “No problem. We’re in for a long night. Captain wants us on night watch.” She plopped down against the adjacent wall, long legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. Running a hand over her face, Ymir asked, “You hear what Jaeger did?”

Annie muttered, “I hear about what Jaeger does on an hourly basis because he comes down here and tries to get me to teach him how to fight.” She took another drink and rubbed the high collar of her jacket between her thumb and forefinger.

“That’s ‘cause he gets into fights all the time and his uncle is tired of saving his dumbass.”

“His uncle?”

“Captain Ackerman. He’s actually the uncle of Eren’s adopted sister. But Eren thinks of him as an uncle,” Ymir explained. She continued, “Eren’s sister is a First Lieutenant in the fleet. Prodigy. Made a name for herself in the officer’s academy.”

Huffing softly, Annie stated, “Sounds like the kind of person I’d wanna punch in the face.”

Ymir burst into laughter. “I’d pay good money to see that! Mikasa is a fuckin’ monster!” After a moment, she fell quiet and asked, “You noticed that tattoo on the back of Jaeger’s neck?”

When she turned to look at Ymir, the freckled woman was leaning forward and her expression was dark and serious. Annie replied, “That’s not a tattoo.” Her voice was low as she muttered, “He’s a Child of Chronus.” The air was heavy as the blonde engineer raised her eyes to once again look at Ymir. “You know the lore?”

Crossing her arms over her chest and sitting back against the wall, Ymir said, “Most of it.”

“My father told me about it when I was a kid. He said that Chronus was an old god who wandered the cosmos, devouring worlds that he found unsatisfactory. Then, he created sons in the image of humans, giving them the ability to walk the cosmos as he did. But his sons turned on him and killed Chronus, spreading his body across the universe to assure he did not return. Supposedly, his sons found partners and married, begetting children. And these children bear a mark on the backs of their necks, indicating their lineage.” Annie finished off her drink and stood. She looked at Ymir, noticing the dark look in her eyes. “You done with your drink?”

“Oh. Yeah, sorry. Here,” she mumbled, holding up the empty mug. As Annie walked out of the engine room, Ymir shouted to her, “I’ll see you up top!”

Annie made her way to the galley and let herself smile softly to see Mina at the sink. When the other girl noticed Annie, she brightened and dried her hands on the towel tucked into her apron. “Annie! How are you? I’ve been so busy today I haven’t had a chance to even walk up top. You’re on night watch tonight, right?”

“Yeah.” Annie frowned, noticing the bruise on Mina’s forearm. “Did Anderson do that?” She reached out gingerly, looking at Mina for permission. Mina extended her own arm into Annie’s reach, allowing her friend to examine the marks. “Why don’t you report this to the captain?”

Mina bit her lip and mumbled, “I’m afraid of Anderson though. When he’s in here and talking to the rest of the crew…they’re up to something, Annie, I know it. But I think Silver is their leader.” She grabbed the mugs from the counter and put them in the sink before looking back at Annie. “Do you know what treasure we’re looking for?”

Annie shrugged and smirked at her companion, replying, “Maybe it’s the Loot of a Thousand Worlds.”

Mina shoved Annie’s shoulder, face heating up slightly as she laughed, “Shut up, Annie, that’s not funny.” Her giggles faded as she stared at the floor. “Annie…do you miss your family?” Mina’s voice was soft and sad as she explained, “It’s dumb but I’m kind of feeling homesick.”

“It’s not dumb to miss home,” Annie replied. She scratched her cheek and leaned against the counter next to Mina. “I just don’t really have much family to miss. My dad was always gone because he worked on a merchant ship. Then, when I was about nine, my mom got real sick. My dad came back about a month before she died. After that, dad stayed home a bit more but I was left with family friends a lot. And I started getting in trouble when I became a teenager.” She scoffed, “That’s why I’m here. I violated the terms of my probation when I went solar surfing in a restricted area.”

“Oh. I’m…I’m really sorry.” Mina rubbed the back of her neck, murmuring, “My dad died when I was little but my mom remarried this really nice lawyer from town. She was heartbroken when I wanted to join the Navy. But she let me join and, well, here I am. Working for one of the finest captains in the fleet.” She grinned at Annie. “And now we’re friends! You should definitely come visit my homeworld sometime! My mom would love you!” She reached over, wrapping her arms around Annie and tugging her close.

Annie froze and lightly pushed on Mina’s stomach. “I-I’ve gotta get on night watch. Ymir is probably already there.” Her voice was much too fast and shaky for her own tastes and she was afraid Mina would mention it.

But Mina only let go and gasped, “Oh no, you’re right! I’m so sorry for holding you up. I’m gonna go get to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow at lunch. I’ll bring you and Ymir meals in your berths.” She smiled brightly and hurried away, calling out, “Don’t fall asleep on watch!”

Huffing a quiet laugh, Annie headed up to the upper deck and spotted Ymir towards the bow with Historia. She waited quietly while the pair hugged and said their good nights. When they pulled away and Historia began to walk to the crew’s quarters, the shorter blonde girl smiled. “Hi, Annie.”

“Hey.” Annie looked up, seeing the flag of the Royal Navy waving in the light galactic wind. Ymir came up to stand next to Annie as Historia disappeared below deck. Without looking at the freckled woman, Annie muttered, “Anderson has Mina scared. He left bruises on her arms.”

Ymir frowned and glanced at the crow’s nest where Anderson and Hands were on the lookout for their destination. “Keep your voice low. I don’t trust anyone who spends most of their time with Silver.” The pair made their rounds, checking the rigging and making sure that the panel had the correct power readings. They approached the bridge, seeing the first mate. As they got closer, Ymir grinned and waved. “Yo, Petra.”

The redhead looked up from where she was looking over the compass. “That’s _Miss_ Petra, Ymir.” She looked at Annie and questioned, “How are you finding the work, Leonhardt?”

Annie’s jaw tensed for a moment but nodded and replied, “It’s enough to keep me on my toes and exhausted.”

Petra nodded in turn and shot a glare at the crow’s nest where raucous laughter broke the tranquil silence of the voyage. “I honestly can’t wait ‘til we finish this mission and get rid of Silver and his flunkies.”

Debating for a moment, Annie whispered, “He’s up to something. And some of the crew is willing to use violence.” The look Petra gave her made the girl continue, “I saw bruises on Carolina’s arms from where Anderson grabbed her.”

The look in Petra’s eyes flared as she snapped, “Are you _serious_?” Her voice was low and rough with anger. She clutched the helm so hard her knuckles turned white and she sighed. “I’ve got to talk to Hanji about this. They’ll know what to do.” She nodded to the engineers. “Thank you. Anything to report?”

“Nothing to report. All members of the crew are in their berths and accounted for,” Ymir retorted. With a nod, they were dismissed to resume their watch and as they went back to the main deck, the freckled woman stretched her arms above her head and scratched the back of her head. “Y’know, Silver might be up to something. But he has some pretty good stories.” She glanced back at Annie and smirked. “You listened to any?”

“Not really,” Annie grumbled. She leaned against the railing, watching as a herd of Kainapean whales passed by. The air held a slight chill and the blonde glanced at Ymir. “Got any smokes?”

“Nah. Don’t smoke, actually,” Ymir said. She laughed when Annie groaned and shook her head. “You’re seventeen. You shouldn’t be smoking anyway.”

Annie cocked a brow at the head engineer and asked, “Who are you to tell me what I should and shouldn’t do?” She smirked and then looked back out at the open space as it passed by. “If we do find that treasure, I’m gonna take my cut and go to a totally different world. Settle down. Make a comfortable life for myself.”

“Sounds cozy. I’d take my cut and buy an inn for myself and Historia. Get ‘er a ring. Run the inn and live happily,” Ymir hummed. She crossed her arms over her chest and smiled. “I’ll betcha money that Jaeger will want to pay you to train him.”

“No, no, _gods no_ ,” Annie groaned. “I hope that he’ll just take his cut and leave me alone.” They fell quiet for a time as another dwarf planet passed by. “D’you think that the Children of Chronus are inherently bad?”

“Well…” The taller woman sighed and shook her head. “I don’t think so. Jaeger seems pretty harmless.” A yawn left her as she stretched again. “We’ve got another two hours on duty. And I’m absolutely ready to crawl into my berth and sleep until lunch.”

“Same,” Annie replied. She glanced back up at the crow’s nest when another bout of laughter erupted and she hissed, “I hope they shut up soon. Hands has an obnoxious laugh.” Her attention was caught by the sound of a boot followed by the tap of metal against wood. Up the stairs came John Silver, bandana tied around his forehead and mechanical eye whirring. He shot a grin at the pair of engineers and as he made his way over, Annie muttered under her breath, “Great.”

The freckled engineer sighed, “Act natural.”

Annie smirked at Ymir and asked, “Wait, so that means I can be a bitch, right?”

Ymir snorted and shoved the blonde’s shoulder, laughing, “No, jackass, I mean be nice.”

“But that’s not natural!” The pair fell quiet when Silver stopped in front of them.

The cyborg stood with his hands on his hips as he greeted the engineers. “Ladies, how are ye? Workin’ hard on watch, eh?”

“Well, if we don’t, the captain will fuck us up,” Ymir muttered. She crossed her arms. “How ‘bout you, Silver?”

“Ah, the same old, same old,” he replied, “cookin’, keepin’ outta trouble.”

“What kinda trouble do you mean?” Annie quipped. She frowned, seeing the way Silver’s grin faltered for a moment.

“Nothin’ really. Just whatever trouble that boredom breeds,” the cook replied easily. He shot another grin and nodded, walking off towards the bow of the ship.

As they watched him walk off, Ymir murmured, “I think he knows we’re onto him.”

Annie’s brows rose as she gasped, “ _No_ , you don’t say.” After Ymir shot her a grimace, the shorter engineer simply shrugged. “What, you said act natural. And I naturally don’t trust people.”

“I hate you.”

“I know.”

[X]

Annie was lying on the floor of the engine room, tossing a ball of rope into the air and catching it when Eren poked his head in. “Hey, Annie, can I ask you something?”

“I dunno, _can_ you?” She caught the ball one last time before turning her head to look at the boy standing in the doorway. “What is it, Jaeger?”

He looked around, muttering, “Is Ymir around?”

“She’s off somewhere with Historia, as usual,” Annie replied. She sat up, setting the ball of rope to the side and crossing her arms. “So what is it?”

Eren walked in and plopped down, sitting across from the blonde engineer and whispering, “Silver wants to go off in one of the dinghies. Wanna go?” He grinned brightly. “Please? Armin won’t go with me because he’s afraid we’ll get in trouble.”

Raising one brow quizzically, Annie muttered, “If Levi sees, definitely.” At the look of disappointment in Eren’s face, the blonde rolled her eyes and added, “ _But_ if you lower the dinghy far enough and get into the Solarian Aurora, you might be able to have a nice ride for maybe half an hour until you need to get back to the ship. Otherwise, you’re gonna get left behind.” She leaned back against the power core, feeling the warmth against her spine. There was a pause before she asked, “When do we leave?”

Eren grinned. “C’mon.” They got to their feet and made their way along the metal walkways, allowing the brunette to look over his shoulder and whisper, “This is gonna be awesome. I’ve never steered one of the dinghies before.” The pair arrived in the docking bay, already having gone through the cargo hold. In one dinghy, Silver sat and fiddled with his robotic leg. “Silver! You ready?”

“Eh? Ah, ye brought the lass with ye,” Silver laughed. “C’mon, c’mon, we ain’t got much time. The Cap’n will have our hides if ‘e catches us.” He motioned for the two teenagers to hop in as he threw the lever to open the bay doors. When Annie had seated herself near the steering, Silver raised a brow. “Yer gonna steer, eh?”

Annie smirked and smoothly replied, “It’ll be more fun if I do.” As soon as they had lowered far enough, Annie punched in the desired throttle and grabbed each of the steering rods. “Better hold on, jerks.” She pressed forward and they shot off towards the green-blue lights of the Solarian Aurora. Silver’s one normal eye was widened in surprise and Eren’s hands were gripping the side while he hollered. Annie’s heart was pounding and the thrill of feeling the air whip her face as they entered the dust had her grinning. Because of the momentum keeping them in their seats, she got them spinning before falling out of the floating light dust and settling, their laughter finally audible. She ran her hand through her hair, smirking at the two men and asking, “Well, better than either of you could’ve done, right?”

Silver whooped, sweeping the hat off of his head and shaking the dust from it, “That was a damn sight better than I’ve seen in all my years!”

Turning in his seat to look at the engineer, Eren gasped, “That was _amazing!_ Where did you learn to do that?”

The blonde started taking them back up to the ship, waiting until they were directly under the ship to start getting closer. She smirked at the pair as they docked and tied the dinghy off. When she pushed the lever to close the door, Annie flopped back down into her seat and answered, “Taught myself. Didn’t have anything else to do.”

Silver leaned back against the other side, facing the two teenagers as he pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his brow. “That was some impressive flyin’. If I coulda done that at your age, I’d be as rich as a king.”

Eren sighed, dropping his head back on the edge of the dinghy. “Captain would absolutely kill us if he knew.” He grinned. “Totally worth it though.” Picking his head back up, he pulled his knees up and hugged them, staring at Silver. He muttered, “D’you think the treasure is real?”

Silver looked down at his robotic limbs, flexing the fingers and muttering, “I sure hope so, lad. Can’t replace me arm, the leg or the eye. But maybe it can make losin’ ‘em worth it.” He looked between Eren and Annie and said, “Some dreams demand ye sacrifice some things. Be prepared fer that, lad.”

“I’ll protect Armin and everyone else! I just want my family to be safe,” Eren stated. He dropped his legs and crossed his arms over his chest. He rubbed his one green eye and opened his mouth to speak when he was interrupted by the PA scratching to life.

“ _LAND HO- TREASURE PLANET, DEAD AHEAD!_ ”

Another voice, calmer but still authoritive, broke in by commanding, “ _All hands to stations. Prepare to land._ ”

Annie, Eren and Silver all got to their feet and while Eren sprinted ahead to get topside, Annie ran to the engine room. Behind her, she heard Silver muttering to himself about time. As soon as she entered the engine room, she spotted Ymir at the power cores. The freckled woman shouted, “Where the hell were you?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Annie snapped. She rushed to the other power cores, shifting the energy gear and getting the ship ready for their impending landing. It was then that the gunfire started. “ _Shit_!”

Just as Annie went to barricade the door, Israel Hands slammed the door open and aimed his pistol at the blonde. “I think y’ought t’be puttin’ yer hands where I can see ‘em. We’re takin’ over now.”

The two engineers slowly raised their hands and Annie glanced over at Ymir. The freckled woman was glowering at the man, her lips curled in a sneer. “Oh, look. What a surprise. They’re a bunch of pirates,” Annie deadpanned.

“Shut up, lass. Y’a’int in a position to be mockin’ me.” He cocked the pistol, raising it level with Annie’s head. “I’ve been dyin’ to see yer pretty head spilled over the floor.” His grin- crooked and missing yellowed teeth- set Annie’s stomach roiling and she fought down the urge to immediately crack his jaw.

“Funny,” she snapped, “I’ve been _dying_ to pound your face in.” That was when she ducked and rushed him, shouting to Ymir, “Grab his pistol!” Her head slammed into his stomach as her left hand went to shove his firing arm up, shoving the aim of the pistol towards the ceiling. As he toppled back, Ymir managed to wrestle the gun from his hand.

Hands swore, “Damn-” He swung wildly, landing a volley of punches to the back of Annie’s head as she slipped the knife she had stashed in her jacket out and drove it hard into his side. The pirate yowled like a wounded animal, increasing the force of his punches.

Annie pulled the knife out and stabbed again, aiming higher and feeling the hilt twist and halt as she hit bone. “ _Shoot him!_ ”

“What if I hit you?”

“ _Doesn’t matter, just shoot!_ ”

Ymir raised the weapon and took one breath before her finger tightened on the trigger. The shot was nearly deafening, filling the small engine room with a resounding crack. She sighed, “Annie? You good?”

“I’m good.” She sat up as Hands’ arms fell away and that was when she noticed the hole where his left eye should have been. Annie swallowed hard at the blood and brain matter that were sprayed over the metal walkway, muttering, “That was a damn good shot.”

“Thanks,” Ymir muttered. She dropped her arm, letting the pistol point at the floor as she ran her free hand over her face. “We’d better get up top. See what’s happening.”

“Good idea,” Annie replied. She got to her feet and wiped the flat of her knife on the pirate’s shirt and sheathed it in the case in her pocket. The pair left Hands lying dead in the doorway as they sprinted up the stairs to see Silver holding Armin against his chest with a pistol pointed at the blonde boy’s temple.

“Lassies! Good of ye to join us! We were just goin’ to make our way to the treasure.” Beside him, Anderson held Mina, resting the blade of a sword against the girl’s throat. “Now, if ye would kindly get the map from the Cap’n.” Silver tilted his head toward the bridge where six other pirates stood with Petra, Hanji and Levi at gunpoint.

Levi caught Annie’s gaze and nodded slowly at her. The blonde slowly made her way to the bridge, keeping her eyes on the captain. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a gold ball with strange markings all over it. Levi placed it in the engineer’s hands, whispering, “Jaeger.”

Brows lowering, Annie nodded and walked back down to Silver and the hostages. “This the map?”

“That it is, lass,” the pirate replied. He glanced at Anderson and hissed, “Takin’ the ship now ought t’be worth the trouble. Else I’m shootin’ ye when we find the treasure.” Then, he shoved the sphere into Eren’s hands. He cocked the pistol and pressed it to Armin’s temple as he growled, “Open it.”

The boy scowled but began tapping some of the little buttons, twisting the top and then the side. Annie watched in awe as the ball expanded and glowed green, a luminescent line shooting off through the growth on the planet. Eren mumbled, “I guess the treasure is that way.”

Annie said, “Thank you, Captain Obvious, we had no idea.” When Eren rounded on her, she shrugged and explained, “I get sarcastic when I’m nervous.”

His brows rose and he retorted, “You must get nervous a lot because you’re really sarcastic.”

They were shoved by Silver and Anderson, each still holding their hostages, towards the stairs. Anderson snarled, “Down to the dinghies, ye blasted kids. We’re goin’ after that treasure.” The other six pirates followed, pushing Levi, Hanji and Petra along. Annie and Ymir walked alongside Eren. Ymir seemed to tense when Anderson muttered to Silver, “Did they find that other little blonde?”

Silver replied, “Nah. I’ll ‘ave Morgan stay on the ship and look for ‘er.” Annie again noticed the way that Ymir’s fists clenched and caught the freckled woman’s gaze with a shake of her head. As they passed the engine room, Silver burst into a raucous laugh, questioning, “Which one of ye engineerin’ lasses blew ‘is brains out?”

Ymir muttered, “I did.”

Anderson’s sharp intake of breath before he lashed out and kicked Ymir’s back had Annie prepared to catch her companion, keeping the freckled engineer from toppling into the door mechanism. “You _bitch_!” He reeled, his hold on Mina loosening when Silver backhanded him. “What the-”

“Ye fool! Hands probably brought it on ‘imself!” Silver growled at him. He simply held onto the collar of Armin’s shirt and leaned in to grumble, “Ye won’t be tryin’a run now, eh, lad?” When Armin shook his head, Silver nodded and shoved the boy into one of the dinghies. Turning to the other six, the cyborg ordered, “Get in the other dinghy and keep those three absolutely silent. They move, they die.” He nodded at Annie and Ymir, gesturing for them to get in. Eren had already leaped into the boat to check on Armin, holding the blonde boy close. Annie and Ymir caught Mina when Anderson tossed her into the boat.

Annie whispered, “Mina, are you ok?” When the scullery girl nodded, Annie wrapped an arm around her waist and calmly said, “It’s gonna be ok.” She glowered at Anderson when he broke into a fit of laughter as he got in.

“As soon as we reach the treasure, ye all are goin’ t’be dead!” He settled, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. “All that treasure is ours.”

Eren snarled at him, “If you don’t have me, you can’t open the map to find the treasure!”

When Silver’s right hand man began to get up and move for Eren, Silver jabbed him in the ribs with the butt of his pistol. “The boy’s right. If you injure ‘im, or any of the others, ‘e won’t open the map.” He looked at Eren, seeing the determined glare. The cyborg got the dinghy lowered and sat at the controls, commanding, “Open the map, lad.”

Though he looked ready to protest, Eren kept his glare on Silver as he automatically began pushing the buttons. As soon as the green light shot off, creating a guide, the cyborg began steering them. They were followed by the other dinghy and Annie glanced back to see Levi glaring straight ahead. Doctor Hanji and Petra kept glancing at one another but they all appeared silent. Beside Annie, Mina settled closer and whispered, “What are we going to do?”

Annie looked at the taller girl and quietly replied, “We go along with them until we reach the trove and then…” She paused when Anderson cast his gaze over them. As soon as his focus was back on Eren and Armin, she continued, “We’ll grab some treasure for ourselves and hightail it on one of the dinghies.”

On Mina’s other side, Ymir leaned down and grumbled, “We could probably ditch them as soon as they’re focused on the treasure. We just gotta hightail it back to the dinghies and get back to the ship. Strand ‘em.” The trio of females watched as they approached a heavily wooded area.

“Can’t pass through that in the dinghies,” Silver grumbled. He glanced back at the other vessel behind them and hollered, “Tie down on one of those branches, lads. We’re walkin’ from ‘ere.”

As the officers were lead far behind, the teenagers all stuck together, following Eren as he held the map sphere in one hand. His other hand was laced tightly with Armin’s, keeping his partner close and shooting worried glances at the blonde. Just behind them, Annie and Ymir walked on either side of Mina. The girl in the middle kept her head down, hands clenching Annie’s jacket sleeve tightly. “Annie, they’re gonna kill us,” she whimpered softly. Her eyes were red from tears and her voice was ragged.

Annie reached around to drape her arm over Mina’s shoulder, placing her hand on the top of the other girl’s head and tilting it close as she whispered back, “I won’t let them. And neither will Ymir. You’re gonna be ok. Just trust me, all right?” Her friend nodded, tilting her head against Annie’s shoulder as they continued their trek.

The glowing, pulsing guide began to pulse faster as they approached a thick wall of plants. Eren’s eyes widened slightly as he called back to Silver, “Right up through here.” The cyborg clambered forward, lightly shoving Eren’s arm out of the way as he switched his robotic arm out for a blade, slicing away at the foliage. As Silver was busy, Eren took the time to speak with Armin, their voices hushed. He asked, “Are you hurt?”

“No, no, I’m ok, Eren.” Armin flashed a weak smile. He gave his partner’s hand a squeeze and said, “I’ll come up with a plan.” His smile grew more sincere when Eren leaned in for a soft peck on the lips and they bumped foreheads lightly. From behind them, they heard a disgusted sneer from Anderson. The pirate was pointedly ignored, however, as Silver broke the tree line.

“What the devil?”

Anderson lumbered up beside the cyborg, growling, “Where is it?”

Suddenly, the green light dispersed and flew back into the sphere before locking back tight. Panic filled Eren’s eyes as he began trying to open the map again, even as Silver snarled, “What happened to the map?”

Eren retorted, “I- I don’t know! It just closed!” He kept trying until a heavy hand landed on his shoulder and tossed him towards the sharp cliff. As he landed, the map hit the ground and Eren snapped his head up at the metallic cling. He got to his hands and knees, brushing away the moss and following the markings to a small, circular inlet with markings identical to the map. He slammed it into the space, jumping slightly when green light flooded the cliff and all converged on the map. “Whoa!” The whole group watched in awe as the map’s green lights all jumped up and showed a glowing visual of the numerous worlds. Eren watched as a triangular portal opened, his breath nearly catching in his throat.

Annie’s brows drew together as she watched pirates gather around the floating map. Three of the ones watching the officers flocked over, gawking at the portal. Their mutterings could be heard, most of them inquiring as to where the trove was hidden. The blonde glanced at Ymir and gently guided Mina towards the freckled woman before she advanced on the map. She pushed her way through the group and said, “Where else would you bury the treasure but Treasure Planet? You just…need the right door.” She tapped the central planet and the portal flashed closed before opening again. Annie took the tentative steps forward, reaching through the filmy portal before stepping through.

Beside her, Silver lumbered in and his jaw dropped. “By the powers that be…” He continued forward, looking around at the rotating sphere covered in gold coins and precious gems. Chests full of loot sat on great dunes of money. All of the pirates ran forward, gleefully diving into the treasure trove. Silver himself knelt and ran his hands over the gold, marveling quietly, “At last…I can finally _touch it_.”

The teenagers were awestruck but Annie took careful note of the flashes of light as the lasers shot into precise holes in the sphere. Nearby, she noticed a longboat and nudged Ymir. “Look.”

Ymir grinned. “Fucking brilliant.”

From behind them, Levi’s voice startled the young crew members. “What the actual fuck are morons planning?” Beside him, Petra had her arms crossed and Hanji was adjusting their glasses, looking around at everything. His glare leveled on Annie and Ymir. “Can you two get that longboat up and running?”

“Well, yeah,” Ymir muttered. She gestured back at it with a thumb. “Some of us should still get back out there and retrieve at least one of the dinghies though.”

Levi glanced at Petra and Hanji before looking back at the teenagers. “Don’t do anything stupid. The three of us will get out there on one of the dinghies. You idiots either ditch Silver and the others or whatever. Kill them if you can.”

Annie mumbled, “Right. Let’s move.” She turned on her heel and climbed up into the longboat, feeling herself relax slightly at the amount of loot on board. She headed over to the control panel, groaning at the sight of loose wires. “Shit. Yo, Ymir.” When the freckled engineer was close enough, Annie pointed and said, “I’m gonna work on those. You keep an eye on those lasers and see if you can find some weapons.”

“Gotcha,” the taller engineer replied quickly. She directed  Eren, Armin and Mina to do likewise and as they searched and got things together, Annie fell onto her back under the panel and worked on the wires, smiling when they responded with sparks of electricity. She could hear Ymir sighing heavily. “Thankfully those idiots haven’t noticed we’re not around.”

Annie smiled in sheer relief when she heard the longboat power up and she hopped to her feet and stood at the control panel, inputting their desired speed and direction when a static-laced voice piped up, “Cap- Flint?”

Annie blinked and replied, “No, Captain Flint is dead.”

“Of course,” the voice replied, “my name is B-B-Ben.” The static was beginning to clear up but the voice was not necessarily steady. “W-warning! Cap-tain Flint –ooby trapped. Planet self-destruct initiated.”

The blonde engineer felt her heart clench and she turned to her crew mates, hissing, “This place is gonna blow. Let’s get outta here.” She took hold of the helm, beginning to steer them back towards the portal. From below, they heard outraged cries and shots began to be fired.

Silver howled, “Ye blighters! Where ‘re ye goin’?”

Anderson raised his pistol, getting ready to shoot again when a nearby laser blasted the sphere itself and not one of the holes. “What the- Silver! What’s going on here?”

The cook shook his head, his normal eye getting big with fear as the laser continued to blast by them, sending the two men flying. On the other side of the sphere, it began to crack and fissures started to open up. Terrified screams erupted when four of the six pirates who had been guarding the officers tumbled into the lava below. Silver did his best to run after the longboat, shouting, “Ye wouldn’t leave old Silver to die ‘ere, would ye?”

The teenagers looked at one another as they passed through the portal and Annie shifted the speed, allowing them to gain altitude as well as distance. The ship was only a short ways away when they heard a terrible groaning sound from below. Underneath them, the planet itself was beginning to crack and Annie felt a bit of relief as they managed to dock in the holding bay. Looking around at everyone else, she muttered, “Better take a few handfuls for yourselves. Just in case.” All of them did so and Annie hid her share in the inside pocket of her jacket. Then, they hopped out and ran to the upper deck.

As soon as they emerged, the sound of boots pounding against wood could be heard. Ymir’s face lit up as she saw Historia running towards her and she caught the girl when she hopped up. The freckled woman, however, grunted when her lover leaned in for a fierce headbutt. She cried, “What the hell were you thinking, shoving me into the space under our berth? You could’ve died!” Tears streamed down Historia’s cheeks as she sniffled, “What happened to living for us?”

Ymir grinned, holding the shorter female close as she replied, “I told you, I’m selfish as fuck. I’m not about to let you die just so we can die together.” They kissed quickly but intensely, smiling at one another until the captain’s voice cut the air.

“Engineers. Get to the engine room and get us ready to go.”

Annie shouted back as Ymir ran down ahead of her. “The planet is self-destructing. As soon as the turbines have _any_ power, go ahead and start getting us out of the gravitational pull.”

Levi nodded sharply but said nothing. Everyone else leapt into action as Levi and Petra started doling out orders. Annie and Ymir were working quickly and carefully when they heard the sound of the holding bay doors close. The two women looked at one another, feeling their stomachs flip. Annie asked, “Didn’t we close those doors?”

Ymir whispered, “Apparently we didn’t.” The sound of a boot followed by a metallic clink sent their nerves on edge as Silver emerged from the holding bay. Into the speaker system, Ymir muttered, “Bridge, this is engine control. Silver is on board.”

“ _Roger. First Mate Ral is en route with Doctor Zoe and Jaeger._ ”

Silver looked harried and positively livid. His normal eye was narrowed and his mechanical one whizzed and clicked furiously. He growled, “Lasses, ye ain’t very high on me list of allies right now. Why’d ye leave an old cyborg t’ die?”

“Oh, you know,” Annie shot back, “because you were willing to kill us to get to the treasure.” On the stairs, three sets of boots hammered down and Silver’s look of fury only increased. She simply glared back at him until the ship lurched suddenly and Eren’s confused shout went up.

The pirate came around the corner of the stairs and began to head up, commanding, “Get up top, we’ve gotta get that riggin’ secured.” Petra stared at the man in shock as he leveled gazes with her. “Miss Ral, with all due respect, we’ve gotta get this ship goin’. I don’t think any of us want to explode.”

Ymir and Annie got the power cores going and sprinted up the stairs. They were away from the planet, but barely. Lava and shattering metal met their eyes. From the bridge, Levi shouted, “If you’re going to be up top, you’re wearing a lifeline!” The engineers ran to the main mast and tied the rope around their hips, each of them darting up the rigging and helping get the lines secured. Just as they cleared the planet, a loud boom and a powerful wave of energy tore past them as Treasure Planet exploded, leaving no more trace of the legend.

But the panic in Doctor Hanji’s voice sent fear into the hearts of the teenagers as they hollered, “It’s devolving into a black hole!”

Levi stood at the railing of the bridge, shouting down to Annie and Ymir, “Get back down to the engine room! I need a complete power up!”

Ymir hopped down from the rigging and nodded to Annie. “I’ve got it; you monitor the power core reading at the mast!” She bolted down the stairs, her boots connecting heavily as she ran to the engine room and calibrated the energy readings.

Up top, Annie looked at Silver as he tied down the sails. When he noticed her staring, his gaze fell and he muttered, “The rest of me crew is gone. Anderson tried to kill me so he could escape with what treasure we managed to salvage.” He glanced back at the engineer and said, “My plans weren’t t’ kill.”

Annie simply nodded and replied, “Right.” Another powerful surge blew by as debris hit one of the turbines. Their speed noticeably dropped and Annie felt her heart sink. She whispered, “We won’t be able to make it in time.” She looked around, seeing the terror and helplessness in the faces of her crew mates. Eren was upset but visibly worried about Armin as the blonde boy’s face was drawn in frantic concentration. Mina and Historia were holding each other’s hands and it was the tears streaming down Mina’s face that set the blonde engineer into motion. She climbed down the rigging, boots hitting the deck hard. As she undid the lifeline around her waist, Annie heard footsteps approaching.

Mina ran up, her voice panicked as she asked, “Annie, what the hell are you doing? Keep that tied tight!”

Annie dropped the rope to the deck and grabbed Mina’s shoulders and stated, “No matter what happens, you make sure that no one follows me. And keep this safe.” She took off her jacket and while Mina slipped her arms through, Annie pulled the locket from around her neck off and put it over Mina’s head. Her friend stood, still crying, with confusion tugging at her expression. The blonde engineer simply sighed, “I’m sorry.” Then, she took off across the deck, running for the side and leaping off.

A collective cry went up and Levi could be heard above the rest, howling, “ _Leonhardt!_ ”

Her feet stood solidly in midair, a faint blue light glowing under the soles of her boots. The back of her neck, starting at the vibrant blue outlines of a crystal below her hairline, began to warm. It was nearly burning as it started to glow and rivulets of blue light began to crawl around her neck and up her chin, lining circles around her eyes. She heard Eren’s voice from behind her, faintly, as the ship began to move away. “She’s a Child of Chronus!”

She could no longer hear their voices when the space debris started to gather, forming her titanic body. The meteoric dust and the light that danced off of it traced her ligaments and the semblance of hair. Light from her mark glowed fiercely and gave the appearance of lighted eyes. And that was when her attention turned and the fingers made of space rock reached out, pushing the ship out of harm’s way. As she continued to will her body forward, beginning to push the ship further and further from the pull of the black hole. It was not effortless and Annie could begin to feel some of the rock and debris fall away, getting dragged into the suction of the void. Her limbs grew heavy and the lower portion of her body was being torn away steadily.

On the deck, Eren stood at the rail and watched in vague horror as Annie’s body was getting sucked in. “I gotta go!” He started to untie the rope around his own hips when Armin grabbed his hands away. “Ar, what- what the hell, let me go! I’ve gotta help Annie!”

Armin shook his head, arguing, “This was her decision! She was undocumented and she hid the truth from everyone! Even if she does save us, the courts won’t be so kind!” He gave Eren a stern glare. “I don’t want to see you to die trying to help someone who could’ve killed us.”

Green and gold eyes both narrowed as Eren retorted, “But she’s saving us. Annie is a good person.” As soon as the terrifying roar of the planet’s destruction and the powerful tug of the void dissipated, the crew gathered to see the world eater’s body crumbling. The glow of the eyes began to dim and flicker and it was then that Eren dropped the rope and stepped up and off. Below his feet, yellow light glowed and as he walked out to Annie’s form, his cheeks and eyes were lit with vibrant yellow lines. Annie’s body began to sink; the light had faded away and all that was left was the burn marks across her cheeks. Eren looked at her, face serious as he turned back to the ship. “Annie.” When this brooked no response, he simply headed back, keeping her close to his chest. However, the moment they stepped down, Eren was shoved back and Annie was tugged from his arms. Petra and Hanji restrained Annie’s arms in a pair of cuffs and hoisted the drifting engineer to her feet. Eren growled, “No, let her go!”

Levi pressed his boot to Eren’s chest, glaring down at the boy and steadily explaining, “She is an undocumented Child of Chronus. She put the entirety of my crew in danger and as soon as we get back to port, I’m going to order this monster’s execution.”

From the group of teenagers who had gathered, all of them protested and Mina cried, “She just saved all of us!”

Historia stepped up, Ymir coming to stand right behind her lover. The shorter woman crossed her arms and asked, “Exactly how did Annie put all of us at risk? As I seem to recall, her stellar engineering skills and sharp observation managed to save the lives of our crew and also escape the pirates.”

Levi turned his gaze on the young woman retorted, “Annie Leonhardt is a _monster-_ ” He staggered slightly when Historia took the three steps forward in a short sprint and her fist connected with his jaw.

“It appears your definition, and my definition, of ‘monster’ is vastly different,” she hissed. Her lips curled in a smile. “I’m happy to say. As to Annie’s fate, I _insist_ that you call in an investigator to properly look at the situation.” Historia paused and she asked, “Are we clear, captain?”

“Yes, _m’lady_ ,” he replied. He glanced at Petra and gestured with his head to the stairs. “Take her to the brig.”

“Yes, sir,” the redhead responded. She led the exhausted teenager down the stairs and into the brig, across from the cargo hold. Petra glanced at the girl and murmured, “Thanks.” And without another word, she left.

[X]

It was nearly a week later that Eren’s exhilarated shout alerted the crew as soon as the other ship came into sight. While it was not as big as the Freedom Scout, the S.S. Titan Fury was ranked as one of the fastest in the entire fleet. It took several moments for the gangway to be secured but it was not much longer as a young woman dressed in full regalia and a crimson scarf stepped onto the Scout. She was met by Captain Levi and the other two superiors. As she struck her salute, the woman announced, “First Lieutenant Mikasa Ackerman, sir.”

“Acknowledged.” His voice was as flat as he could manage. “There’s a prisoner in the brig. Undocumented World Eater.” He watched as her eyes widened then quickly narrowed. “Unfortunately, I was ordered to give her a fair chance. Interrogate her, kill her, do whatever you want. I just don’t want her on my ship any longer.” Then, with a quick nod, he did an about-face and walked back towards the bridge.

Mikasa nodded to Petra and Hanji both, offering a brief smile. “It’s good to see you again, Miss Ral. Doctor Zoe.”

“Likewise!” Hanji replied. They grinned and rubbed their chin, saying, “I’ve never seen a World Eater that close before. It was rather impressive.”

“How did you find out she was a World Eater?” the lieutenant inquired.

Petra supplied, “We were being sucked into a black hole caused by Treasure Planet self-destructing.” She cast her gaze at the floor as she continued, “Miss Leonhardt ran off the ship and…triggered her form. Then, she pushed us out of the pull of the void. Eren went off-ship to catch her when she collapsed.”

The doctor added, “She was originally hired to complete her community service duty. She was a juvenile delinquent. Brilliant engineer, however. Could easily go toe-to-toe with Ymir. Followed orders a little begrudgingly but she still followed nonetheless.”

Mikasa’s smile returned as she saluted. “Thank you, both.” She watched as they walked off and chuckled quietly when eager footsteps could be heard. Eren and Armin were both approaching at a jog and as soon as they stopped in front of her, the trio went for a hug. When they finally pulled away, Mikasa asked, “How’ve you been?”

Eren replied quickly, “It’s been great! We found Treasure Planet and then we all got a cut of what we could recover. We also fought a mutiny of pirates and escaped an exploding planet _and_ the resulting black hole.” After he took a breath, he deflated a bit and muttered, “I also got thrown across the deck and then our friend got thrown in the brig.” He turned his head, speaking conspicuously loud as he finished, “You know, after Annie saved our asses!”

From the bridge, Levi could be heard asking, “What did that idiot say?”

Although the young man looked tempted to add something else, Armin’s hand on his shoulder brought him back to the conversation. The map reader quietly said, “I suspected something was off when she never took off her high collar. She also avoided most people like the plague.”

“Especially Silver.” Eren paused and got excited again as he explained, “Long John Silver was the cook and a pirate captain! Me, Annie and Silver all went out on one of the dinghies and flew through a meteoric dust trail. It was super cool.”

Mikasa raised a brow curiously. “And where is this Silver now?” When Eren pointedly avoided her gaze, her jaw fell and she whispered, “Eren, you didn’t.”

“But he was actually really nice if you talked to him, Mik, really! I didn’t wanna see him go to jail or get executed for chasing his lifelong dream,” her brother whined. When Mikasa didn’t change her incredulous expression, the man grumbled, “If you wanna know more about Annie, you should talk to Mina, Ymir or Historia. They know the most about her.” He crossed his arms. “She acted like all I did was annoy her.”

“Eren, you kept asking her to teach you how she fought,” Armin reminded him gently.

The lieutenant shook her head and waved, saying, “I’ll see you before I leave.” Then, she headed to the galley where Mina sat on a small stool, staring forlornly at a small locket. “Excuse me, Mina?”

“Huh- oh! You must be Mikasa!” She got to her feet, giving a sharp salute. “Annie saved everyone on this ship! Please don’t let Captain Levi have her executed.” She dropped her salute when Mikasa did it back and they sat at one of the tables in the galley. Mina ran a hand through her sleep disheveled hair and mumbled, “Annie is honestly a good person. Please, please believe me. She’s like a sister to me. And what she did could’ve killed her.”

“What? How?” Mikasa’s expression grew more concerned than confused and she waited patiently for Mina to collect herself as the other teen had started to cry. The officer reached into her breastpocket and produced a handkerchief, offering it to the crying scullery girl.

Mina explained, “Annie’s ‘body’ was getting pulled into the black hole. All the rocks and debris that made that form…it was getting sucked in until we were safely out of range. She would’ve fallen into space if Eren hadn’t gone and caught her.” She wiped at her eyes and sat back, sighing deeply. “He saved my sister.”

Mikasa nodded, feeling that she had gleaned the most important bits of information already. With a nod, she stood and gave a salute. “Don’t worry, Mina. Your testimony has been of great help to me.” The relief on the girl’s face spoke volumes and then, she made her way across the deck and to the stairs that led to the engine room. On the floor, Historia sat between Ymir’s legs, reclining against the taller woman. “Good day, m’lady.” Mikasa gave a shallow bow to the blonde and smiled at the quiet laughter. “Hey, Ymir.”

“Yo, Ackerman. Here to interrogate us?” The freckled woman motioned to the only other spot in the room and said, “Take a seat.”

“I’d much rather stand. But thank you.” She inclined her head as her gaze fell on Historia. “I understand that you punched my uncle.” Her smile grew at mixture of pride and embarrassment on the blonde woman’s face. “Nice hit. Now, do either of you have an opinion on what I should have done with Miss Leonhardt?”

“Let ‘er live,” they said in unison. Historia furthered the plea, “Annie in invaluable. Her understanding of engineering and her ingenuity is what helped Ymir and the others get back to the ship alive.”

Ymir nodded. “She did a damn good job, to be honest. And she _agrees_ with me about using turboprops instead of the original gas turbines.” She smirked and crossed her arms, looking smug as Historia turned to give her a withering look. “What? That’s important.”

Again, the lieutenant saluted and laughed quietly. “I’ll take my leave of you, ladies. Thank you for your input.”

“Anytime,” Historia replied.

Then, Mikasa turned her attention to the door across from the cargo hold and made her way over quietly. As soon as the door opened, she noticed the lantern next to the single cell and the small blonde woman sitting against the far wall. The lieutenant smiled and walked over, standing across from Annie and knocking softly at the bars. “Miss Leonhardt.”

Blue eyes opened and the prisoner lifted her head. Upon seeing Mikasa, a weak smirk came to her face as she chuckled, “Judge? Jury?”

“And executioner, should you so choose.” Her own smile curled into a smirk as she stepped closer to the bars. “Would you like to hear my offer?”

Annie smiled almost insanely. “ _Shoot_.”


	2. epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikasa and Annie finally meet.

“You’re a Child of Chronus?” Mikasa inquired.

“I’m sure everyone told you I’m a World Eater,” Annie muttered. She looked up at the First Lieutenant with a tired smirk. “What else do you want?”

The officer hummed and said, “I’ll be right back. I would much prefer to speak to you on even ground.” A second passed when she waited for any reaction from the prisoner. Getting none, Mikasa turned on her heel and walked back up to the main deck, making a beeline for Petra. “May I have the keys to the cell?”

“You’re going to let her _out_?” Petra inquired.

“Not necessarily,” Mikasa replied, “but I will be taking her aboard my ship so that my uncle no longer complains about her.”

For a moment, Petra hesitated. But she eventually withdrew a key from her breast pocket, placing it in Mikasa’s hand. She paused and murmured, “She did save us. She hid what she was. But she saved our lives.” Petra seemed to struggle, her eyes betraying the lack of expression on her face. But instead of saying anything further, she bowed her head in turn of Mikasa doing the same and turned away.

The walk back down to the brig was a swift one and Mikasa found that Annie had not moved from her spot. Though, she noted with some satisfaction, the prisoner did tense and seem to wait for further movement when the lock clicked. Mikasa stepped into the cell and without much hesitation, sat across from Annie. She raised her head to look at the officer in confusion. “What’re you doing?”

“I want to talk to you.”

Annie tried to school her expression but she knew that she must’ve looked apprehensive. Quietly, she asked, “What more do you want to talk about?” An officer in the Royal Navy was sitting across from her in such a casual way, with no apparent fear or disgust. “Why aren’t you calling me names? Don’t you dislike World Eaters?”

Mikasa shook her head simply. “Eren is my brother and he’s a Child of Chronus too. I know that you didn’t choose this life. But you apparently have remarkable control in your-”

“Titan.”

She paused when she heard Annie speak and she parroted, “ _Titan_?”

“That’s how we typically refer to our World Eater forms. We call them _Titans_.” Annie averted her eyes. “My father taught me since I was little how to control my Titan. He said that being a Child of Chronus was a special gift. We lived on a planet with a few other families of World Eaters.”

The First Lieutenant nodded slowly. “So...there are definitely more of you. But you’re...peaceful? Primarily?”

“For the most part,” the blonde answered. She mumbled, “There’s some that want to walk the cosmos like Chronus did. But I think...that’s pretty stupid. What’s the point? There are only so many worlds...” Annie sighed heavily. “So? You gonna have me killed now?” Her face looked sunken, slightly, probably from lack of sleep and malnourishment. And there was an odd look of serenity in her features, almost like she had already accepted her uncertain fate.

That was when Mikasa smiled and replied, “No.” At the look of confusion in Annie’s eyes, the brunette only added, “I’m taking you onto my ship as part of _my_ crew.” She got to her feet and bent to lift Annie up almost effortlessly. It was a little amusing to see Annie’s eyes widen with surprise at the ease Mikasa seemed to have lifting her. Then, even more surprising, the officer turned the prisoner just enough to unlock the shackles around her wrists. While Annie gently rubbed the skin that had been under the rough, cold metal, Mikasa turned on her heel and went to open the door. “Let’s go. Marco is probably chomping at the bit by now. We’re on our way to his home planet. Our naval base is there.”

The World Eater looked utterly bewildered by the turn of events and she asked, “Are you serious?”

“Quite,” Mikasa answered, “Marco is incredibly anxious to get home. His little sister’s birthday is in a week.”

Feeling her cheeks flush with color, Annie replied, “Th-that’s not what I meant and you know it!”

“I know. But I wouldn’t have removed your shackles if I weren’t serious about you joining my crew and I believe that you know _that_.” Mikasa turned her cool grey eyes on the World Eater with an even stare and murmured, “Now, I advise you come with me and we can go collect your things before we depart.” There was another pause before she added, “And you can say your goodbyes. I know that Miss Carolina would like to see you before we leave.”

With a simple nod, Annie followed, feeling more than just a little bewildered by the kindness shown by this more or less strange woman. Mikasa seemed to be exceedingly patient. Maybe a bit sarcastic, if Annie’s ability to read people was being accurate. So she walked in stride with the First Lieutenant, heading for the female cabin and dug in her berth for her belongings. After shoving it all back into her seabag, she got back up and glanced to Mikasa. “All right. That’s all I’ve got.”

Mikasa nodded and shot her a brief smile before she said, “Ok then. You can say your goodbyes and then we’ll get underway. I want to say goodbye to my brother and Armin before we leave.” As they reached the main deck, Mikasa was slightly surprised to see Marco standing and talking with Mina. The pair looked a little shy but distinctly happy. She made a mental note to tease him later. When they looked up, Mikasa greeted them, “Marco, Mina, good to see you two have met. You’re probably the two sweetest people in the entire fleet.”

Marco blushed, the color appearing faintly under his tanned skin. “W-wait, I’m not-”

“I didn’t- we just bumped into each other,” Mina explained; her blush was much more obvious but she grew less embarrassed when she realized Annie was freed. She rushed forward, throwing her arms around her friend’s neck as she cried, “You’re ok!” Mina pulled back to look at Annie carefully and her brows knitted together as she noted, “You look pale. Have you been eating, are you going to be ok?” Then, a thought occurred to her and she withdrew the locket from her neck and placed it over Annie’s head again. “There. Back in its rightful place.”

Annie smiled softly at the action. She murmured, “Thank you, Mina.” She blinked when her hooded vest was returned and noticed that all the coins and jewels were still crammed in the pockets.

Before she could say anything about it, Mina interrupted and stated, “You deserve those, Annie. You saved our lives and you’re my friend. You’re a good person.” With a slightly playful, authoritive tone, Mina joked, “And you should use it to come visit me!” She wagged a finger in Annie’s face and said, “Promise me you’ll come visit, ok? I’m gonna miss you.”

“Ok, I promise,” the blonde laughed weakly. They hugged one more time before Annie followed Mikasa over to the other ship. Most of the crew from _Freedom Scout_ stood at the railing, waving as their ships began to pull away from each other. Annie raised a hand and smiled faintly before following Mikasa to the Captain’s quarters. It was roomy but sparse in its accommodations. It was just as militaristic as the rest of the crew’s berths and Annie suddenly felt impressed that Mikasa didn’t use her higher rank to have a better bed or thicker blankets or anything else. “Is this...your room?”

“Yes,” Mikasa replied simply. She sat at the small table by the windows and motioned for Annie to follow. “Come here, please. I want to discuss the rules I have on my ship.” Once Annie sat down, Mikasa brought out a paper with a list of rules written on it. “I’m pretty understanding about most things. But I don’t tolerate fighting on my ship and I don’t allow drinking.”

“Well, that’s easy. I hate alcohol and I hate people, so I typically avoid both,” Annie said with a grin. When she saw a twitch at the corners of Mikasa’s lips, she knew that her humor might match up with her new commanding officer. Her grin evened out though and she stated, “In all honesty though...why are you being so kind to me? I’m just some stranger- and worse, a World Eater. Why be nice to me?”

The First Lieutenant looked at her steadily once more and answered, “Like I told you earlier, my brother Eren is a Child of Chronus also. And I’ve seen what he can do. I know better than to think that the Children of Chronus are all monsters like in the legends. Legends are made by the victors or the survivors of great suffering. And depending on who makes it, the legend can paint a picture of a monster or a hero.” She smiled again. “And according to almost everyone I spoke to on the _Freedom Scout_ , you are the latter.”

That brought Annie up short. She tried to process that; Mikasa said that the people on the _Freedom Scout_ considered her a hero. ‘ _But how can a monster be a hero_?’ She opened her mouth to speak but couldn’t bring the words out of her throat. So she sat in silence for a few moments longer. “I’m...” The blonde lowered her gaze to the floor before she continued, “I’m not a hero. I just didn’t want to see Mina or Ymir or Historia get hurt...or any of the others. We had already been through hell with the pirates...”

A pause of brief silence was broken by Mikasa simply stating, “Most heroes don’t realize what they are because they only see themselves doing what they think is best.”

[X]

Her time on the _Titan Fury_ was short before they made it back to Trost. Marco, Annie had found, was exceedingly nice and good to talk to about books. But once they made port, he was an excited mess, waving happily at his family as they waited for him on the dock. Annie watched with a small smile as they lowered the gangplank and he rushed off first to embrace all of them. Beside her, Mikasa stood and smiled also. “Marco is quite possibly the most caring man in the galaxy. And he’s also my best friend.” She glanced at Annie. “Well then. Follow me. We’ll go to my quarters on the base and rest a bit. I’ll make us some coffee too.”

“I figured you’d be more of a tea person,” Annie responded playfully.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong- I love tea. But coffee is the only way I survive on this ship. Especially with the crew that I have,” Mikasa answered. They retrieved their belongings and began the short walk to the Trost Naval Base, talking amicably. Mikasa began laughing when Annie imitated Jean. “I wish he’d get it through his skull that it’s a terrible idea to flirt with your commanding officer. Better yet would be if he’d realize I’m not interested in him. Or any men.”

“You don’t like men?” the blonde inquired.

Mikasa shook her head. “No, not at all. Only as friends, if that.” She paused. “Marco and Armin are the exceptions. Eren is my brother, so. That’s different.”

They finally arrived in front of a townhome and as Mikasa walked up to the door, she heard Annie mumble, “ This is your place? Do you rent a room?”

“No, this whole house is mine. Higher ranking officers can get whole homes to themselves if they want. It just takes a little extra out of our paychecks,” Mikasa answered. She opened the door and stepped aside to let Annie walk in. “Ladies first,” she stated. At the deadpan look she received, the First Lieutenant smirked and asked, “What?”

“In no way am I what most people consider a lady.”

“Well, that’s all right then because I’m not most people.” Her smirk widened slightly as she watched Annie’s expression go from one of indignation to something closer to acceptance. The shorter woman finally brushed past Mikasa; the officer followed and softly closed the door before she set her seabag on a nearby chair. “It isn’t much but it’s nice to have my own place. It’s good for when Eren and Armin get a chance to come visit. There’s only one bedroom upstairs but I have a full kitchen and a working fireplace.”

“Sitting room is pretty spacious for a little townhouse,” Annie observed as she looked around. Quietly, she asked, “Where can I put my stuff?”

“Here.” She reached out and lifted the bag from Annie’s hand with ease and set it beside her own. “That’ll be fine for now. Let’s go to the kitchen so I can brew us some coffee.”

As the First Lieutenant began to make the coffee, Annie sat in one of the chairs at the kitchen table. It was nicely decorated but quite simple. Mikasa was apparently not a lavish person in respect to her own necessities, and did not indulge in things that she didn’t absolutely need. It was a little refreshing. “You aren’t what I expected when Ymir told me about you.” The officer was pouring their coffee but paused to look at the engineer with mild confusion. “She said you were a prodigy in the academy and quickly became an officer. I thought I wouldn’t like you very much. Just because you sounded like the type who would be really proud and shit.”

“And I’m not like you imagined?”

Annie took the cup of coffee and smiled faintly as she felt the heat warm her palms. “Not at all.”

The officer took a sip of her coffee and she grinned. “I’m glad to hear that.” Then, she tilted her head as if looking at Annie in a new way. “Well. Unless you want to be officially inducted into the Navy, you’ll probably just stay here. I didn’t get to see your engineering skills in full because our time was so short. I’d like to employ you as the engineer for my ship on a private contract basis. This will increase your pay slightly because you’ll be working as a civilian.”

“Civilian contractors get paid more?”

Mikasa nodded and hummed thoughtfully, “I’ll go to my superior tomorrow and get a contract written up so you can sign it. Then, after it’s all finalized, your paycheck will start to come in.”

“Why...are you willing to let me work as a civilian, knowing I’ll get paid more...when you’re completely aware that I was originally put on your uncle’s ship for community service, just so I wouldn’t get thrown in jail for violating my probation?” The blonde was incredulous. How could a military officer be willing to help someone like her- a delinquent.

There was a pause between them as Mikasa seemed to ponder an answer. She finally, slowly, replied, “Because...when I talked to Mina, Eren, Armin, Ymir, Historia...all they all seemed pretty adamant that you were a good person. Maybe with a bad attitude...” She huffed a laugh when she saw Annie roll her eyes. “But still a good person who risked your life to save all of them.” Mikasa looked at her and set her coffee down. “Anyway. What kind of stuff do you like to eat? I’m a fairly good cook.”

Annie smiled.

 

[X]

It wasn’t until three weeks later that they shipped out again. And Annie watched as Marco again waved to his family, this time promising to see them all again soon. It made her smile but still feel a small twinge of something like jealousy. A hand, firm but gentle, rested on her shoulder and Annie turned to see Mikasa standing beside her. “It hurts sometimes.”

She was tempted to shrug Mikasa off but instead asked flatly, “What does?”

“Not having a family to come home to,” Mikasa stated.

The blonde blinked. “You’ve got your uncle and your brother, don’t you?”

Mikasa’s expression darkened momentarily before she motioned to the Captain’s quarters and said, “Follow me.” When Annie finally followed, she noticed the change in Mikasa’s posture. Her shoulders were tense and it wasn’t until the door was closed that she spoke again. “Eren is my adopted brother.”

“I know. Ymir told me that.”

“Did Ymir tell you why he’s my adopted brother?”

Annie mumbled, “No. Wasn’t my place to ask.”

“My parents were killed by pirates,” Mikasa said, her tone even. She noted the widening of Annie’s eyes but said nothing about it. “So, Eren’s family adopted me. My uncle was already in the academy and couldn’t take care of me. So I lived with the Jaegers for several years. It was nice. We lived on a peaceful planet. There was the odd crime or two but nothing catastrophic. And I knew Eren was a Child of Chronus because his father was also one. But Dr. Jaeger was a quiet man and seemed even-tempered, so I never had anything to fear. It changed though.” Mikasa frowned, gaze falling to the floor. She continued, “A World Eater suddenly attacked our planet. They didn’t immediately swallow the whole planet though. It...was cruel. It began throwing small meteors at the surface and wrecking entire towns, leaving huge craters in the earth. We evacuated as fast as possible. But just as the ship was going to take off, another meteor hit and Eren’s parents disappeared, leaving Eren, Armin and I by ourselves on a ship to a planet we didn’t know.”

It was a lot to take in. Annie could only say, “I’m sorry...”

“You have no need to be sorry,” the officer muttered, “you weren’t the one that killed my family.”

“Still,” the blonde replied, “what happened was awful. Your uncle didn’t do anything to help?”

Mikasa sighed. “He had us brought to the Naval base at Trost and had us enrolled in the military academy.”

She fought back the urge to scowl. Levi really did sound like a dick. “And that solved the problem?”

“Sort of. We had shelter, food, a steady income...we were able to provide for ourselves.”

Annie snapped, “At the cost of what was left of your childhood.” She was seething inside. Though she hadn’t had the best childhood herself, she still remembered the years that she had had with her mother and how she could still look back on those times and remember being happy as a child. “That’s fucked.”

“I’m under the impression that you had a slightly different upbringing,” Mikasa said slowly.

“I-” She paused. “I lived with my mother for most of my childhood. We were by ourselves mostly. My dad was a merchant and travelled a lot, so we were usually stuck at home, living off what money he sent us.” Annie withdrew the locket from around her neck and opened it, watching as her mother smiled and waved. She remembered that day so clearly; Annie had just built her first solar surfer and was standing on it as it idled, floating slightly above the ground. The image changed and instead her mother was standing by the stove, beginning to look slightly thinner and sicker. It made Annie’s heart ache as she watched the woman’s head turn and saw the weak smile she gave.

“Your mother?”

A tear slid down her cheek and Annie smiled sadly. “Yeah.” She wiped the tear away and muttered, “Look, I didn’t think we were gonna swap sob stories. Let’s just say we both don’t have families and right now, we’re both moving on with our lives.”

Mikasa nodded. Then, deciding that a change in subject would be best, she questioned, “So, as an engineer, do you also build things for yourself? Or do you just work on things that have already been manufactured?”

Annie felt a smirk curl her lips and replied, “I can build my own stuff as long as I’ve got the parts. It’s pretty fun to build something from the ground up. Because then I can control the quality of each and everything that goes into it. I built my first solar surfer when I was eight. Built my own solar maneuver gear when I was fourteen. After that I started to tweak those and really get the equipment up to a good standard. They fire up every time.”

“That’s impressive,” the officer remarked. “So you fly well?”

“Best you’ll ever see,” she answered confidently.

The First Lieutenant smiled slowly and asked, “Wanna show me?”

“Sure.” Annie motioned for the brunette to follow and headed down to the dinghies; she was anxious to pilot again, ready to feel the stardust splash her face and feel the exhilaration of flying free. She glanced at Mikasa and questioned, “Do you have a specialty that they promoted you for?”

“Well, I...suppose you could say I’m a Jack of all trades but I excelled in piloting and close quarters combat. We were on a mission to determine our graduation rank and our ship was hit by a meteor that took out one of our propulsion jets. Our instructor was trying to take control of the situation but everyone was, more or less, freaking out. I grabbed the helm and took control, making an emergency landing in a nearby field. I managed to slow us down enough before we made impact so that no one was seriously injured. Still a few bruises and scratches from debris but nothing major,” Mikasa replied. She settled into the dinghy and stayed quiet as they lowered, watching as Annie calibrated the steering. The brunette hummed thoughtfully. “Unorthodox,” she noted.

“Huh?”

“Your calibrations.”

Annie nodded as she finished up. “Control is still important, so it’s easier to do a manual acceleration ‘cause it allows me to control the steering.” She finally grabbed the steering and throttle, pushing the dinghy to the limits as she shot off into the open space, finding a meteor trail to follow. It was even more exhilarating than when she was steering Eren and Silver. Annie glanced at the First Lieutenant and saw that her grey eyes were alight with the same kind of thrill that the blonde herself was feeling. It was like seeing the meteor itself in her expression and the World Eater never wanted to see that light leave Mikasa’s eyes. They spun in a tight circle, spiraling behind the trail and feeling the splash of stardust on their faces.

After several minutes, Annie pulled away from the spiral and they finally were able to breathe; they were laughing, wiping away the dust and looking at each other with bright smiles. “That was certainly amazing,” Mikasa admitted.

Mikasa’s smile was beautiful- Annie was enthralled, simply looking at her. “Yeah, it...was great.”

“You know...I haven’t gone for a ride like that in a long time,” the officer stated, looking at Annie with a tender smile on her face. “We should do this more often.”

Annie nodded and suddenly she was very aware of how close they were; their shoulders lightly bumped and their eyes locked in a way that made Annie’s heart race. She mumbled, “We...we probably need to head back, don’t we?”

The light in Mikasa’s eyes started to recede a bit as she pulled back, adjusting her scarf. “Oh...yeah, probably.”

Then, quietly, feeling her heart ache at having Mikasa pull away, Annie reached over and slipped her fingers through Mikasa’s free hand. I wanna show you something. But we have to take the dinghy back up.”

Blushing slightly, Mikasa nodded, giving Annie’s hand a light squeeze. She smiled softly, half hiding it in her scarf.

[X]

Once they were back on the ship and the dinghy was secured again, Annie took Mikasa by the hand and led her back up to the main deck. She went up to the railing and looked at her curiously. “Do you want to walk the stars?”

Mikasa’s expression was incredulous. “ _Walk the stars_?” She smirked. “Well, don’t you sound like a romantic?” It was nice to see Annie blush as brightly as she did and Mikasa noted how pretty it was. She quickly stated, “I...am curious as to what you mean.”

Annie simply stepped up onto the railing and steadied herself by holding onto one of the ropes that was tied tightly to a hook. The crystal symbol on the back of her neck started to glow and warm her nape as the rivulets slowly spread. A light blue glow emitted from under her feet and there was some satisfaction as she heard Mikasa gasp when she stepped off of the railing. But instead of falling, Annie seemed to stand as solidly in mid-air as she did on solid ground. When she turned to look at Mikasa, there were blue lines crawling up her chin and across her cheeks, starting to line under her eyes. “Take my hand.”

The First Lieutenant hesitantly reached out and felt warmth spread up her arm, shocking her slightly as she gazed at Annie in utter bewilderment. With a small smirk on her face, the Child of Chronus was seemingly unperturbed by the surprise in Mikasa’s expression. Mikasa quickly schooled her expression and stepped onto the railing, still holding onto Annie’s hand. There was a brief moment where Mikasa was unsteady, unsure, _scared_. Yet the look in Annie’s eyes was soothing and she stepped off, thoroughly surprised when she stood next to the blonde as if they weren’t standing in mid-air. “How...?”

“It’s a trait Children of Chronus have. It’s like a safety net to ensure our survival. It doesn’t last forever though. The only way to travel really long distances is to maintain our _titan_.” She observed Mikasa’s expression carefully, enchanted by the wonder in the officer’s eyes. Annie mumbled, “When we were on the dinghy...were...were you feeling anything?”

“I felt close to you,” Mikasa replied truthfully. “Not just in the literal, physical sense. There was something in your eyes when you were piloting. I wanted to see that light last forever.”

“Now who’s the romantic?” Annie joked. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she looked down and smiled, murmuring, “Honestly, I feel so free when I can fly. I might not enjoy the regimented behavior of the military...but I envy the ability to travel so much.”

“Then stay with me.”

Annie’s attention shot back up to the officer as Mikasa blushed. “Wha-”

“Stay with me,” Mikasa repeated. She tilted her head slightly, eyes flickering to Annie’s lips as she asked, “Will you?”

The Child of Chronus paused, realizing that Mikasa was staring at her lips. “I...I guess I can.”

What movement that followed happened in such a way that Annie almost missed it until she felt Mikasa’s lips on her own. It wasn’t something she expected but it was soft and sweet and she never wanted it to end when she felt Mikasa begin to pull back. Mikasa mumbled, “I really enjoy having you around. And...I figured that what better thing than to fall for a friend.”

Annie smiled. “Falling for a friend...that sounds perfect.”


End file.
